Chari, founded in 2020 by husband-and-wife duo Ismael Belkhayat and Sophia Alj, has developed a licensed fintech platform that converts thousands of neighbourhood shops into digital-payments and financial-services access points.

Leveraging a payment-institution licence from Morocco’s central bank, the company empowers merchants to provide previously inaccessible financial products and services to their communities.

DisrupTech’s move into Morocco underlines its expanding commitment to fintech innovation across Africa.

In joining this round, part of Chari’s Series A extension, the fund will also take a seat on Chari’s board of directors, signalling deeper involvement in the company’s strategic direction.

According to Mohamed Okasha, Managing Partner at DisrupTech Ventures,

“Our investment in Chari is a milestone… Chari is redefining how financial services are delivered at the grassroots level. By empowering small shops to act as financial gateways, we believe the company is laying the foundation for a new, inclusive fintech infrastructure in Morocco.”

On the Chari side, CEO Ismael Belkhayat remarked:

“We are delighted to welcome DisrupTech as a partner on our journey. With their backing, we are accelerating our mission to turn every corner-shop into a financial access point — together we will continue to build technologies driving financial inclusion and economic growth across Africa.”

The investment underscores several key themes: first, the growing recognition of informal retail networks as strategic gateways for fintech services; second, the evolution of North-African fintech ecosystems from payments alone toward embedded finance, micro-insurance, working capital and banking-as-a-service models; and third, the rising interest of venture capital funds from the MENA region deploying into Francophone Africa.

As Chari scales its platform, reportedly operating with over 20,000 retailers onboarded, it aims to extend its footprint across Francophone Africa beyond Morocco, leveraging its merchant-network model and regulatory licence to deepen financial access in underserved communities.

The partnership between DisrupTech Ventures and Chari represents a notable step in the fintech ecosystem: a capital-and-governance play in which a startup is empowered not only with funding but also strategic mentorship and board representation, while addressing the financial exclusion of informal sectors via a merchant-led model.